The Milwaukee Bucks took a huge step back this season when they missed the playoffs. The Bucks came into this season with the highest expectations that the franchise has had in quite some time, but they underperformed big time, as they finished with a 33-49 record.
Even though the Bucks took a step back this season, they still have the makings of a team that could have a very bright future. Milwaukee's core players are young and improving, so they may have a shot to turn it around next season, assuming they keep that core together and add some veteran leadership to the roster.
A big key to success in the NBA is having a superstar player. The Bucks don't exactly have one yet, but they have a couple of guys that look like they can turn into superstars. The most likely of those young players to turn into a superstar is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished the season on an extremely strong note.
Antetokounmpo had a stretch during the second half of the season, where it seemed like he was compiling a triple-double every night. That stretch coincided with the 21-year-old's move to the point guard position after Michael Carter-Williams had season ending surgery. Head coach Jason Kidd has said that Antetokounmpo will likely be the primary ball handler for the Bucks next year, and because of that, he believes that the "Greek Freak" has a chance to average a triple-double.
That statement seems outlandish on the surface considering nobody has averaged a triple-double since Oscar Robertson did back in the 1961-62 season. Antetokounmpo's season averages this past year were 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, so he didn't even average a double-double. Antetokounmpo, though, is just 21 years old and has gotten significantly better in each of his three years in the NBA. His numbers did rise when he was moved to more of a point-forward position at the end of the year, too, so Kidd's statement may not be all that crazy.
The "Greek Freak" will be entering his fourth NBA season and has said that he plans to work on his three-point shooting this offseason. The jump shot is really the only negative in Antetokounmpo's game, but he plans to work on it, and if it improves as much as the rest of his game has, look out because he will be unstoppable. Averaging a triple-double hasn't been done in quite a long time, but we also haven't seen a player like Antetokounmpo maybe ever, so if anyone is going to do it, why not him?
